Month: July 2010

When the opening proposal of your upcoming labor negotiations is described by one source as “just a photocopy of [Commissioner David] Stern’s middle finger,” you may be on your way to a lockout. The NBA is in the midst of one of its busiest off-seasons ever, but we should enjoy the activity while it lasts. With the collective bargaining agreement — the governing document for player and owner relations — once again up for negotiation next summer, the 2011 off-season may be an extended vacation. Here’s how the key issues in play might be shaping the Warriors’ current decisions.

The Warriors’ most eventful July in ages is almost over, but it’s not clear whether they’re done rebuilding their roster. With only 12 players under contract, the team looks as if it could use a few more rotation players to flesh out the bench. After spending the previous summers worrying about whether there will be enough minutes to go around, it suddenly looks as if there might not be enough bodies for those minutes. Those concerns, however, are premature.

The Warriors’ off-season — one I initially expected to be quiet given ownership uncertainty — has been anything but. Over the last month we’ve seen a string of fan favorites depart, an $80 million man arrive, back-room intrigue with the sale of the team and some empirical injury evidence bolstering the theory that the team is, in fact, cursed. But of all these stories, no post I’ve done this summer has received more hits in a day than this one from Tuesday, reporting on the arrival of Jeremy Lin.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m inclined to give Lacob and Guber the benefit of the doubt — based solely upon the fact that they’re not Chris Cohan — but so far they’ve gone two for two in post-sale transactions. CJ Watson has departed for Chicago in a sign-and-trade and summer-league standout Jeremy Lin is on the verge of signing what’s rumored to be a partially guaranteed two-year deal. They’re not moves that will change the course of western civilization, but in them may be the first faint outlines of Lacob and Guber’s immediate plan for the team.

The Warriors’ sale to Joe Lacob and Peter Guber now official, but Warriors fans will still have to wait a bit longer for the end of the Cohan era. Until the club of NBA owners officially teach Lacob and Guber the secret handshake and sign off on the transaction, it’s still Cohan’s team. But just because Lacob and Guber won’t be able to hire or fire until early September (at the latest) doesn’t mean they should hold off a year on overhauling the Warriors’ organization.

The Warriors have a new owner — but not the one we expected. There’s a tinge of disappointment to the announcement — gone are the dreams of Ellison’s billions and decisive win-at-all-costs style — but that disappointment shouldn’t cloud the obvious. Lacob and Guber have the potential to be a huge upgrade over Chris Cohan. For now, however, they’re unknowns.

Wednesday July 14, 2010 could be the most important day in Golden State Warriors’ history since May 25, 1975 — the night the franchise completed its sweep of the Washington Bullets for the NBA championship. With nothing yet confirmed regarding Chris Cohan’s departure, it’s too early to start the official liberation celebration. But it’s not too early to dream.

After a weekend of reports, Anthony Morrow and the Warriors finally parted ways Monday in a sign-and-trade deal designed to snag the Warriors a $4 million trade exception. I would have matched the deal given Morrow’s still improving game, our lack of depth and the relatively reasonable size of the contract, but the decision not to is entirely defensible given his defensive woes and the impending Dorell Wright signing. The trade exception in return isn’t much, but it’s something. And that’s an improvement over what the Warriors usually get in return for their expiring deals and restricted free agents.

The Warriors’ roster changes continue, but one thing remains a constant — Brandan Wright can’t stay on the basketball court. Wright’s consecutive game streak in the Vegas summer league ended at two. It’s unclear whether the DNP in Sunday’s third game was purely precautionary or the result of taking a shot to the shoulder in Saturday’s match-up, but whatever the cause it will do little to ease concerns over Wright’s durability. As if questions regarding one injury-prone Wright weren’t enough, the Warriors appear to be on the verge of adding a second one — free agent small forward Dorell Wright.

As the Warriors continue to say goodbye to pieces of their past — Anthony Morrow, signing a $12 million offer sheet with the Nets, looks like the next to go — the Las Vegas Summer League should provide at least a small glimpse of the team’s future. All eyes were on a lottery pick power forward Friday night, but not the one the Warriors landed last month. Brandan Wright, fresh off two shoulder surgeries and countless questions about when he’d finally be healthy, survived 31 minutes and 29 seconds of full-contact basketball. At the time of this report, he was no worse for the wear. After these last few weeks, I’ll take whatever good news I can get.